 CyberheistNews Vol #6 #08 Feb 22, 2016 |
| [ALERT] It's Here. New Ransomware Hidden In Infected Word Files |
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It was only a matter of time, but some miscreant finally did it. There is a new ransomware strain somewhat amateurishly called "Locky", but this is professional grade malware. The major headache is that this flavor starts out with a Microsoft Word attachment which has malicious macros in it, making it hard to filter out.
Over 400,000 workstations were infected in just a few hours, data from Palo Alto Networks shows. Antivirus engines are being updated to catch it but many of them took a day or so.
The bad guys use social engineering twice to trick the user first into opening the attachment, and then to enable the macros in the Word file. The malicious code itself was written in Office VBA, and closely mimics Dridex Banking Trojan infections, suggesting it is the same cybermafia behind it.
Once an employee enables the macros, the macros will download an executable from a remote server and execute it. The file that is downloaded by the macro will be stored in the %Temp% folder and executed. This executable is the Locky ransomware that when started will begin to encrypt the files on the workstation, then both mapped and unmapped network drives.
What To Do About It
At this time, there is no known way to decrypt files encrypted by Locky. At the KnowBe4 blog, we have a lot more links and information, showing all the points of failure that would allow Locky to get into your systems, and also a little-known way to disable macros network-wide to prevent malicious code like this to encrypt your files.
Learn how to keep this nasty out now:
https://blog.knowbe4.com/its-here.-new-ransomware-hidden-in-infected-word-files
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| Scam Of The Week - Netflix For No Charge |
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Netflix’s popularity continues to grow fast, and they recently launched their streaming service globally. Obviously that makes them a hacker target. At the moment, there are active malware and phishing campaigns targeting Netflix users. The operations are fairly sophisticated, so it is likely this is the work of an Eastern European cybermafia.
Some of the campaigns are dropping actual malware on the box, others phish for the user's login and/or payment information and sell these on the dark web. All of the campaigns start with some form of social engineering.
In the case of malware, users infect their machine at the moment where they are tricked into acting on a fake ad for a cheaper version of Netflix. Once installed, the malware poses as Netflix and compromises the system with a Trojan.
Symantec researchers wrote about one good example of credentials-phishing that targets Danish Netflix users. A fake email tried to trick them into updating their account due to a payment issue, mistakenly sending their bank details directly into the hands of cyber scammers.
I suggest you send the following to your employees, friends and family: "Cybercriminals are targeting Netflix users with several scams you need to watch out for. Some of these scams claim you need to update your payment information, and others try to trick you into downloading software for a cheaper version of Netflix. Do not fall victim for any of these tricks.
"Only download Netflix software from the Netflix website or official app stores, and always go to these websites yourself instead of clicking on a link in an email. Also, if you receive an email that looks like it is from Netflix, and claim you need to update payment information, do not click on any links or open any attachments. Go to the Netflix website yourself using your browser and check your account. Call their customer service if you want to be 100% sure, using the 800 number you found on their website."
For KnowBe4 customers, send your users a phishing security test to inoculate them against Netflix scams. You can find the template in Phishing -> Email Templates -> System Templates -> Current Events -> "Netflix Alerts: Your payment was declined". This template has a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5.
Let's stay safe out there.
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| New Cloudmark Report On Phishing: Have They Gone Off Their Rocker? |
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Robert Lemos of eWEEK interviewed Angela Knox, senior director of engineering and threat research for Cloudmark related to their new Feb 11 security threat report.
"While the stereotypical phishing attack may be grammatically challenged, the popular attack method continues to be effective, according to Cloudmark's report.
While phishing attacks have a reputation for being poorly written and fairly obvious in their attempts to con users, the attacks continue to be a problem for most companies, according to the report.
Ninety-one percent of companies encountered phishing attacks in 2015, with the lion's share —84 percent— of companies claiming attacks successfully snuck past their security defenses, according to a survey of 300 U.S. and UK firms conducted as part of the report.
A relatively simple attack—sending a message to the accounting department purportedly from the company CEO—has become quite popular, with 63 percent of companies having encountered the tactic.
"Even though companies are taking actions, it is still one of the easiest ways in," Angela Knox, senior director of engineering and threat research for Cloudmark, told eWEEK. "It is much easier for someone to hack a human by going through email than to attempt to find a zero day."
Up to that point I was all in agreement, and then she went sideways and came out with a statement that had my mouth hang open in disbelief: "Training is the stop-gap measure that you use if the technology is not providing you defenses you can rely on," she said. "If the technology is protecting you, you don't need training."
Oh, really?
Well, let me answer with a quote of Bruce Schneier: "If you think technology can solve your security problems, then you don't understand the problems and you don't understand the technology." He also constantly makes the point that "Security is a process, not a product. No system is perfect; no technology is ‘The Answer’."
Technology is mostly reactive and usually runs days behind after new attacks. Look at the fresh Locky ransomware attack: 400,000 infections in just a few hours sailing through all the existing defenses by social engineering end-users.
Effective security awareness training is a must these days. Here is the story in eWEEK. Leave a comment and tell them if you agree or not?
http://www.eweek.com/security/phishing-attacks-continue-to-sneak-past-defenses.html
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Warm Regards,
Stu Sjouwerman |
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